Though Amit Sharma directorial Maidaan was praised by critics for bringing the story of Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim to light, it failed to produce numbers at the box office.
In an interview with News18, Boney Kapoor – who bankrolled the film – admitted he was disappointed with the lack of reception the Ajay Devgn-starrer received. “Naturally I was upset. I was very upset for a few days but then you’ve got to move on. Raj Kapoor was the most prolific filmmaker. He made several hits and blockbusters. But he too had films that didn’t meet his expectations,” he said.
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Kapoor revealed that the shock from the film’s failure stemmed from the fact that many critics had appreciated the storytelling, so naturally, it did not make sense to him why the film could not gain any monetary returns. “Maidaan was a shocker because before the film was released, everybody was very, very vociferous in praising the film. We had several screenings for the people of the film industry and everybody used to be absolutely amazed and stunned by the film. Of course, some of them felt that the first half was a little slow, but the second was absolutely extraordinary."
“Some of the filmmakers also called me up, appreciated the film and they also wondered why the film didn’t do well. But I think it could be one of the iconic films like Mr. India in times to come," he continued.
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While the Mom producer lauded Devgn for his performance, he also praised the film for its realistic approach. “It is Ajay Devgn’s best performance to date. Everybody performed very well. His wife, Gajraj (Rao), and the players, the whole team had performed very well. Amit Sharma is almost like my son and Priyamani was extraordinary. There couldn’t have been a more perfect wife to that particular character. Every moment of the film seemed real, it looked like it was happening in front of you."
Released in April, Maidaan was only able to scrape a mere Rs 68 crore against a budget of Rs 235 crore, earning less than 30% in returns.